אִכָּר (ik.kar)
ik.kar
farmer
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 7 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun ikkar refers to a farmer or tiller of the soil, specifically one who works the land without owning it. This distinction highlights a social reality in ancient Israel where agricultural labor was often performed by tenants or hired hands rather than proprietors. The term appears seven times in the Hebrew Bible, with a notable concentration in the prophetic books of Jeremiah, Joel, and Isaiah.
These prophets frequently employ ikkar to illustrate divine judgment or national restoration. When Jeremiah describes the destruction of Judah, he notes that even the farmers cease their work because the land lies fallow and uncultivated (Jeremiah 12:7). Similarly, Joel uses the image of the starving farmer to convey the severity of a locust plague that has stripped the fields bare (Joel 1:11).
The word’s usage underscores the vulnerability of those who depend on the earth for their livelihood. By focusing on the laborer rather than the landowner, the text emphasizes the human cost of ecological or political disaster. The cessation of farming activity serves as a powerful symbol of societal collapse and the withdrawal of divine blessing.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word ikkar refers specifically to a farmer or tiller of the soil, often one who works the land without owning it. This distinction highlights a social reality in ancient Israel where agricultural labor was frequently performed by tenants or hired hands rather than proprietors. By focusing on the laborer instead of the landowner, the text emphasizes the human cost of ecological or political disaster.
When prophets describe divine judgment, they often use this image to show societal collapse. Jeremiah notes that even farmers cease their work because the land lies fallow and uncultivated (Jeremiah 12:7). Similarly, Joel uses the starving farmer to convey the severity of a locust plague that has stripped the fields bare (Joel 1:11).
These passages remind us that our livelihoods are deeply connected to the earth and to God’s provision. When the land suffers, those who depend on it for survival feel the impact most acutely. This connection invites us to pray for peace in our communities and gratitude for the daily sustenance we receive.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 7 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- farmers3×
- a farmer2×
- [will be] farmers/ your1×
- O farmers1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- אִכָּרֵי/כֶ֖ם1×
- אִכָּרִ֣ים1×
- אִכָּרִ֗ים1×
- אִכָּרִ֖ים1×
- אִכָּרִ֕ים1×
- אִכָּר֙1×
- אִכָּ֣ר1×
Key Verses
-
Joel 1:11
Be confounded, you farmers! Wail, you vineyard keepers, for the wheat and for the barley; for the harvest of the field has perished.
The farmer is called to wail here because the harvest has perished, highlighting the vulnerability of those dependent on the earth.
-
Amos 5:16
Therefore Yahweh, the God of Armies, the Lord, says: “Wailing will be in all the wide ways. They will say in all the streets, ‘Alas! Alas!’ They will call the farmer to mourning, and those who are skillful in lamentation to wailing.
This occurrence links the farmer directly to mourning, showing how societal collapse affects even those working in the fields.